Dover-Sherborn alums face each other in women's lacrosse championship

Friday

Aug 5, 2016 at 12:01 AM

Behind this championship game, however, is an interesting story. Namely that the five-time champions had senior Ashley Stewart, a 2012 Dover-Sherborn High School graduate and defender on its team, and the newly minted champions of Middlebury College fielded freshman Alex White, a 2015 Dover-Sherborn graduate, also in a defensive field position.

By Sarah Freedman, dover-sherborn@wickedlocal.com

The battle for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 3 women’s lacrosse championship was a tough one, with Middlebury College emerging victorious against a strong Trinity College team by a score of 9-5.

The Trinity Bantams had won five straight titles, and the Middlebury win broke this streak on Sunday, May 29.

Behind this championship game, however, is an interesting story. Namely that the five-time champions had senior Ashley Stewart, a 2012 Dover-Sherborn High School graduate and defender on its team, and the newly minted champions of Middlebury College fielded freshman Alex White, a 2015 Dover-Sherborn graduate, also in a defensive field position.

Stewart, 22, was a three-year starter for Trinity and three-time Division 3 All-American; she had won three New England Small College Athletic Conference titles with Trinity.

They were both Academic All-Stars as Dover-Sherborn seniors as well.

White aided Middlebury in winning the NESCAC championship in Philadelphia, but for her it was also about something else: the love of the sport.

She made the decision to try out for the Middlebury College lacrosse team because of that passion.

White said, “I have always loved playing lacrosse and thought it would be a fun way to meet new people and enrich my college career.”

She said playing college lacrosse is fulfilling because “you get to meet a bunch of upperclassmen and people you might not have otherwise.”

White said a strong bond develops with one’s teammates.

She said, “By spending hours and hours together every day, we all became extremely close, and it was especially fun winning such a big game with 29 of my best friends.”

Stewart expressed a similar sentiment about playing on the Trinity College team.

Of the camaraderie, she said, “For me, it was about having 30 other girls you cared about.”

She added that part of playing lacrosse is “pushing yourself to go that extra mile” and finding people who want to work toward a common goal.

They work together to achieve that goal, according to Stewart.

She noted, “There’s a leadership aspect to it.”

The foundation for these two players was laid in the Dover-Sherborn lacrosse program.

Stewart said she began playing offense as an attacker on the field, but playing on the high school team changed her gameplay.

She noted, “Playing for Dover-Sherborn definitely shaped how I play.”

In particular, Stewart worked with Erin Newton and Katelyn Barry, who coached her at Dover-Sherborn, to transition to defense.

Stewart’s love of playing on the team contributed to her decision to try out as a walk-on player at Trinity.

Stewart said, “I love the sport. I love the camaraderie that comes with the sport.”

The program at Trinity College was attractive to Stewart because they had a strong team and had captured a title that year.

She said, “I definitely wanted to be a part of that.”

On a tour of the school, Stewart ran into a familiar face from Dover-Sherborn in Kate Livesay, who now coaches at Middlebury College.

Stewart contacted Livesay, who encouraged her to try out for the Trinity College team.

The next time she saw Livesay was at the tryouts in February of her spring semester, which lasted three days.

Of making the team, Stewart said, “It felt very good.”

She was one of four members of the 2016 Trinity team who joined the team as walk-ons in their freshman year.

She explained meeting another Dover-Sherborn alumna on the field is not unusual as there are “a lot of Dover-Sherborn players” in the division.

And, although she said once the games starts the focus is on playing and other things fade away for her, there is a chance to catch up with fellow Dover-Sherborn players after the game.

Stewart said, “It is nice to see a friendly face.”

White played lacrosse for her entire high school career and club lacrosse for Mass Elite.

She said, “In fact, Ashley Stewart was my senior captain for my freshman year at Dover-Sherborn.”

Going head-to-head with Stewart on the lacrosse field was “pretty exciting because Ashley has always been a really great role model for me.”

White reached out to Stewart the night before trying out for Middlebury, and Stewart was helpful in giving her advice on “how to stand out and go the extra mile” at tryouts.

She said, “I know it sounds incredibly cheesy, but she was my inspiration for trying out for the Middlebury team since she was such an influential and important player on the Trinity team as a walk-on.”

Stewart said it was great that she had such a positive influence on younger players at Dover-Sherborn as a tri-captain with Dana Swaffield and Andrea Marx.

She added, “I remember that the captains of my freshman year really made sure that every single teammate understood that they were important parts of the team, regardless of age. That’s what Dana, Andrea and I tried to achieve when we were seniors, to make sure, regardless of age, everyone felt included and valued on the team.”

Stewart said she was flattered to be considered a mentor in White’s pursuit of playing college lacrosse.

She noted, “It’s always so fun to compete against other Tri-Valley League players, especially when they were your teammates in high school. I wish her the best in her college career.”

Stewart reflected on her wins at Trinity, but is looking forward as well, in terms of her career.

She said, “Those titles are really important.”

She called the conference that Middlebury and Trinity plays in “one of the toughest conferences.”

In fact, winning takes a lot of teamwork because it is so competitive.

At the end of the day, however, she said, “It’s just an honor to hold up that trophy at the end of the game.”

Stewart’s goal in terms of her career is to use her bachelor’s degree in economics and studies in international relations to work for a nonprofit organization and make a difference.

She said, “I want to do something that benefits others.”

Stewart hopes to get her master’s degree and to work in the economics field in the meantime.

As for advice for any aspiring college lacrosse players, Stewart said, “My advice for any high school player who hopes to play lacrosse in college is to stay determined and dedicated, act in the best interests of your teammates, love the game and take advantage of every opportunity to play.”

Of her title with Middlebury, White said it felt “amazing” that all the hard work she put in during the season paid off with the championship.

She added, “Middlebury obviously has been an incredible program, and it was so exciting to know that I would be a part of the Middlebury women’s lacrosse team and tradition.”

As she just completed her freshman year at Middlebury, next up for White are her studies and of course, playing lacrosse for Middlebury.

White plans to major in political science with a minor in psychology.

In terms of lacrosse, she looks forward to having “another incredible season next year” and going all the way to another championship.

Although she said there will be players graduating this year, she noted that other great players will step up to the challenge.

White said, “The team grows and develops in different ways.”

She is excited to see where the team goes next season and in the future.

White noted, “Our coaches, KP Livesay and Alice Lee, are such amazing mentors and teachers, and they will definitely have great ideas for which direction to take the team in.”

She added, “It will definitely be exciting to see what happens in the future for our program.”

All in all, she expressed her joy playing for Middlebury.

White said, “It was just a super exciting experience, and I am honored to play for the Middlebury women’s lacrosse team.”